Finding Happiness
by astradanvers
Summary: Alex has always believed she'd never find happiness, but maybe she was wrong. And maybe it takes a Kryptonian to prove it.


**I am clearly Alex/Astra trash as much as supercat trash. Also I'm voting either Lexstra or General Danvers for Alex/Astra ship. Also one section of this contains smut, so I'm just gonna put a little note there and if you want to skip it feel free. I don't even write good smut so yeah.**

Part of Astra's penance for everything that she'd done before changing sides was house arrest. It was agreed that said house arrest could take place at the apartment belonging to either Danvers sister. In the beginning most of Astra's non working hours, those hours she wasn't helping at DEO headquarters, were spent at Kara's apartment. As Kara's relationship with Cat grew and the younger Danvers sister began spending more nights at the Grant house than her own apartment Astra accepted that she'd spend more time with Alex and less with Kara.

"She doesn't do it on purpose you know," Alex says one night from her spot stretched out on the loveseat.

Astra glances over to her companion from her spot on the the matching couch, more used to the silence that surrounds them at night than she'd willingly admit, "Who? Do what?"

"Kara," Alex tells her, eyes still trained on the TV watching old reruns of _Grey's Anatomy_ on Netflix. "She's never really had a real romantic relationship. There's been the odd boyfriend here or the odd girlfriend there but never anything as serious as she and Cat. She doesn't want to screw it up."

"She's in love," Astra responds, a smile playing at her lips, "it doesn't really bother me. Spending time with you is not altogether terribly unpleasant." A smirk forms on Alex's lips at the backhanded comment, Astra smiles, "I enjoy seeing Kara happy, she deserves it." She glances over to Alex again, "So do you."

Alex's head snaps around to look at Astra, "I am happy."

"Be honest with yourself, Alex, if you won't be honest with anyone else. You've got your job, Lex, what else do you have?"

Turning back to the screen Alex pulls the blanket off the back of the couch, "Shut up, Astra. And don't call me that."

Astra smiles, stands up, "I'm headed to bed," she reaches out then, fingers barely brushing a strand of hair away from Alex's eyes, "you could have so much more." Without another word she heads down the hall, slipping into her own room to change into pajamas. "I wonder if she realizes how special she truly is," she murmurs as she crawls into bed and pulls the blankets up to her chin.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

"Come on," Alex says one night, about two weeks after what Alex calls the happiness conversation.

Astra stares up at her from where she's sitting curled into one corner of the couch, "I can't go anywhere, Alex, I'm on house arrest, remember?"

Smiling Alex tosses a paper at her, "I figured we could celebrate," she says, "we've got reservations with Kara and Cat at that Italian place you seemed to like last time we were there."

Looking down at the paper in her hand she reads over it carefully, "Cleared?" She runs her fingers over the words as if reading them with braille, "I've been cleared?"

Alex shakes her head, "No, your time has been served, Astra, you've repaid your debt to society."

"Doesn't feel like it most of the time," the older woman says, eyes taking in the dark haired woman before her, "I've done so much wrong for what I believed to be right reasons." She tosses the paper onto the side table, "I don't deserve this."

Moving closer Alex sits down on the edge of the couch, hand falling to rest on Astra's calf, unsure of when she became so comfortable touching the other woman, "Everyone makes mistakes, Astra," she meets the older woman's eyes, "but you've atoned for those mistakes. You helped us destroy your own regime's plans for war. Non and his forces, because in the end they were his forces and not your own, could have destroyed this entire planet but you kept that from happening. You did that, Astra."

"How have you forgiven me so easily?"

"There was nothing easy about it," Alex tells her quietly, unsure if she should even be giving voice to these thoughts. "You hurt someone I care very deeply about, multiple times. She never, not once lost faith that you could change." Alex tilts her head, continues delivering the facts she's sure Astra is already well aware of, "I have always had hope that I will always be the more cynical, less likely to trust and more likely to believe the worst of people. The night Kara and I traded you for Hank I began to see in you what Kara sees."

"And what is that?"

"Hope," Alex says, "and love. You may not have believed Kara when she said she still saw good in you but you hoped that there was and you still loved her. That alone made me trust you a little more. I knew as long as you cared for Kara, she would never be hurt."

"I wasn't even sure of things like that then," Astra says quietly. She looks over at Alex, "You try to pretend you're nothing like Kara," she says quietly, "but you have just as much belief in the world as she does."

Alex smiles, reaches out slowly, giving Astra plenty of opportunity to pull away. She twirls the silver streak in Astra's hair around her fingers, "I have just as much belief in you," she says gently, "but so much less in the rest of the world."

"Alex," Astra whispers and Alex knows that there's as much of a question in the sound of her name as there is a demand. At the single word Alex tugs lightly at the strand of hair wrapped around her fingers, pulling Astra closer until their lips crash together. "We can't do this," Astra says, pulling away only for the strand of hair still curled around Alex's fingers to be tugged once again, pulling her back in.

"Astra," Alex says, moving to straddle the older woman's lap.

The Kryptonian pushes back on Alex's shoulder as the younger woman starts to lean more fully into Astra, "Don't we have reservations with Cat and Kara?"

Alex pulls her phone free from her pocket, pressing speed dial two on her phone, "Hey, Kara," Astra leans up, pressing open mouthed kisses up the younger woman's neck, "I'm not feeling well," she says, attempting to push Astra back from her neck, knowing that if she doesn't she'll be moaning in minutes. "No," she says carefully, "no there's nothing that we need. I'm going to make myself some soup and put myself to bed." Astra finally pulls back from her assault on Alex's neck, giving the DEO agent in her lap a moment to finish her conversation, "Saturday?" She looks at Astra who shrugs and nods, "Sounds good to us." She smirks, "Yeah, Astra's right here."

As the phone switches hands Astra gulps at the evil smirk on Alex's face, "Hello, little one," she says placing the communication device to her ear, still somewhat weary of them. Alex's fingers brush slightly over the skin exposed by the gape between Astra's shirt and pants, "No, your sister is in very capable hands," she says, face remaining nearly impassive as Alex leans forward and begins nipping at Astra's collarbone. "You and Cat have an evening out just the two of you and we'll take Carter out somewhere with us Saturday." Alex bites down rather roughly on the juncture of Astra's shoulder and neck, causing the Kryptonian to bite down on her bottom lip, "Thank you, my darling," she smiles, fingers slipping into Alex's hair, cupping the back of her head. She tightens her grip on Alex's hair slightly, warning the younger woman silently, "I will," she promises, "I'll make sure she heads straight to bed after having something to eat." Astra gives Alex a pointed look, "Love you too." She glances down to find Alex's head resting under her chin, "Alex loves you too, yes. Bye, little one. Have fun tonight." She presses the end button on the phone, putting it back to her ear to make sure Kara's gone. She tosses it to the coffee table and pulls Alex's hair gently, urging the younger woman up, capturing her lips in a searing kiss once more. "I know I am."

"This," Alex breathes out against Astra's lips, "this isn't too much, right?"

Astra slides her hands under the edge of Alex's shirt, "As long as you're okay with this, I am."

"Your senses?"

"I'll let you know if things get to be too much, Alex," she leans forward then, pulling the younger woman's lips back to her own. "Are you okay with this?"

Alex looks down on the woman below her, "I don't want," she rests her forehead against Astra's, "I don't usually do things like this." She shakes her head, "I don't know how to do this."

"What is this?" Astra questions quietly.

"I have no idea," Alex says gently, hands resting on Astra's shoulders. "But," she twists the same curl that started things to begin with around her index finger once more, "but I don't want this to be like my usual relationships."

Astra sees in Alex what she once saw in herself, "So we take things slow." She pushes Alex's hair away from her face, "All that means is that we cancelled on Cat and Kara for nothing."

Pressing a chaste kiss to Astra's lips, Alex shakes her head, "I have an idea." She traces patterns against Astra's bare shoulder, "Why don't we both go change into pajamas, I'll order Chinese food and we can watch movies."

Grinning Astra leans up to steal another kiss, "Isn't that what we do every night?"

"Maybe tonight we'll add more cuddling," Alex says, "and kissing." She tucks her arms against her chest, rests her head under Astra's chin, "Definitely more kissing."

A chuckle slips passed Astra's lips, "Sounds perfect," she whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of Alex's head. "Are you sure this is okay?"

Alex looks up at Astra, "This is perfect."

A few hours later Astra runs her hands over Alex's back, the younger woman snuggled into her side, wedged between the back of the couch and Astra's body. "I never thought we'd make it here," Astra says quietly, lips resting against Alex's forehead, "you deserve so much better than me." She turns back toward the TV, watching some kid's cartoon that Alex swore she just had to watch. She closes her eyes, "It wasn't just Kara I was changing for."

A smile stretches across Alex's lips, she nestles herself closer to Astra and lets herself succumb fully to the sleep clouding her mind.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

"Astra!" Alex calls through the apartment, "We're gonna be late." She moves towards the door, grabbing her jacket from the hook by the door, "Astra!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Astra says, rushing into the living room, trying to put an earring in her ear and a shoe on her foot at the same time.

Alex chuckles at the spectacle before her, "Okay, we're in a hurry but maybe not that big of one. Either put your shoe on or put your earring in but stop trying to do both at once."

Astra sighs, "Why do I have so much trouble with these confounded human things?" she grouses, "All it involves is -"

"Don't," Alex says, leaning up to take the earring from Astra's hands, "a comment like that is why we're running late to begin with."

"You love my comments," Astra says, pulling Alex into a chaste kiss before slipping on her shoe, finally. "Let's go, there's a kid waiting for his aunts."

Shaking her head Alex wraps her arms around one of Astra's, "Are we flying?"

Astra smiles, "Do you want to fly?" The older woman had been initially shocked to learn that Alex enjoyed flying, leftover remnants of a childhood spent with Supergirl as a sister. Alex grins at her girlfriend, "Right, I have to stop asking that question, you are always willing to fly."

After making sure the front door is locked Astra moves to the balcony, holding onto Alex's hand as she leads the younger woman, "Can we fly above the clouds?"

"Of course," Astra says quietly, Alex reaches out and wraps her arms around Astra's neck. "Any other requests, my lady?"

"Just get us to Cat's damnit." Grinning Astra lifts Alex up so that the younger woman's legs wrap around her waist, one arm wrapped around Alex's back, "How do you manage to fly carrying me this way?"

Rising into the air Astra holds on a bit tighter, "I don't have to adjust much holding you this way," she whispers. "Not only that, I have more control of my movements when I hold you this way."

Looking up into Astra's face Alex shakes her head, "Bullshit, you just like flying with my legs wrapped around you, don't you?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Mom!" the voice catches both of their attention and they look down to find Carter standing on the rooftop patio Kara and Alex spent the whole weekend building a month ago, "Aunt Astra and Aunt Alex are here!" Kara and Cat turn from their spot by the firepit, looking up to find Astra landing and lowering Alex to the ground.

"You couldn't have just taken Alex's car?" Kara asks, studying her aunt and sister.

"We were running late," Alex says fighting the urge to scratch the back of her neck, a sure tell that Kara would recognize anywhere. "We took the quickest route to get here."

"The two of you have been running late an awful lot lately," Cat says, eyeing both of the women before them. She tilts her head for a moment then grins, "Well isn't that something."

"Isn't what something?" Kara asks from beside her.

"Nothing, my love," Cat says, pressing a kiss to Kara's cheek, "didn't you want to share the news with Astra and Alex?"

"Cat and I are getting married," Kara says simply then turns on her fiance who is heading back towards her seat already, "Now what is something, Cat?"

"Alex got a new haircut," Cat says with a grin, causing Kara to whirl around and look over her sister. "Astra, can you help me with something?"

Alex and Astra share a look, each questioning the other silently. Finally Alex nods, she's the one that's been holding out, scared of Kara's reaction to the situation. Astra wants nothing more in that moment but to press her lips against Alex's but little steps, they've got to take little steps. When she makes it over to where Cat is waiting for her she turns slightly so that she can see Alex and Kara, kicking a soccer ball around with Carter. "What did you need help with, Cat?"

"Nothing," Cat says, turning to watch her family across the roof from them, "I know you've changed," she says, "I see it every time you interact with my son." She glances over to Astra, "But if you hurt Alex," she glares at the other woman, "I will hurt you. I don't care who you are or where you come from, I will hurt you."

Astra smiles, looking over to Cat, "If I ever hurt Alex, I will hand you the Kryptonite I expect you to use to kill me."

Cat studies the woman she's slowly come to accept as family, "You love her," she says simply causing Astra's eyes to snap to her. She grins, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you."

 **(This is where the smut begins)** AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Astra spins Alex around as they land on the balcony of their apartment, "You're living high on life tonight," Alex says, resting her forehead against Astra's.

"Our family knows," Astra says, "and you can't deny you're living high on life too." She grins, "I can tell it by the way you smile." She pulls Alex's face down to hers, pressing a kiss to her lips, "I want to celebrate." She grins, "We're calling in tomorrow."

"Astra," Alex warns, "we can't -"

"We can and we are," Astra says moving to the couch, sitting down and sliding her hands under the hem of Alex's shirt. "I don't intend to let you out of our bed tomorrow."

Alex grins down at her lover, "You didn't let me out of our bed today until we had to get ready to go to Cat's and then you made us late. Which in turn ended with us spilling the beans about our relationship," Alex is nearly bouncing in Astra's lap, "and my sister is getting married."

Astra can tell Alex is about to continue on with her babbling so she leans forward, capturing the younger woman's lips with her own. "You," she says quietly, "are not," she presses another kiss to Alex's lips, "allowed," this time she presses a kiss to the side of Alex's neck, "to say," she nips the place her lips have just kissed, "one word." She bites down on the juncture between Alex's neck and shoulder, "If I hear one word I will not hesitate to punish you."

A whimper is the only thing that slips past Alex's lips, steadying herself by grabbing onto Astra's shoulders as the older woman pops the button on her pants, "I'm going to fuck you right here on our couch," Astra whispers, "and then I'm going to carry you to our bed and make love to you for the rest of the night." Another whimper slips from Alex's lips. "Not a word," Astra says quietly, lips and teeth leaving a trail down one side of Alex's neck and back up the other. "But I want to hear every one of those little noises you love to hide from me. Like what happens when I bite here," she continues, teeth sinking into Alex's shoulder. A long moan slips free from the younger woman's lips and Astra soothes the bite mark with her tongue. Astra shuffles the t-shirt Alex chose for the night up Alex's body until she can lift it completely away from Alex's body and throw it across the room.

Alex glares at her, mouth opening, "Do you want to be punished?" Alex's lips are clamped tightly shut once more when Astra begins to trail her lips down Alex's chest, leaving small nips and gentle swipes of her tongue in her wake. She reaches behind Alex, mouth pressing kisses along the edge of the younger woman's bra while Astra's hands undo the hooks she's become all too familiar with in the six months she and Alex have been doing this. "You are so beautiful," Astra mutters against Alex's skin but the younger woman can barely understand her because the words are uttered in Kryptonese.

When Alex's bra follows her shirt towards the other side of the room, Alex weaves her fingers through Astra's hair, pulling Astra away from her skin and towards her lips. She kisses her roughly, biting down on the older woman's bottom lip perhaps harder than she should. "You're in a mood tonight," Astra says, once their kiss has ended. Her hands have found Alex's nipples, pinching and twisting already pebbling flesh. She lets herself be drawn into another searing kiss before kissing her way down Alex's chest until she's able to take one pebbled nipple into her mouth, sucking roughly at the same time her tongue swirls around the hard little nub standing erect on her lover's chest. Short choppy moans have been falling from Alex's lips but when Astra scrapes her teeth over the nipple between her lips a long loud moan rips free from the younger woman's throat.

Alex's flesh falls from Astra's lips with a wet pop and a smirk. She kisses across Alex's chest to take the first nipple's twin into her mouth, giving it the same treatment she'd given the first. Her nails scratch rather less lightly than they probably should over the pale skin of Alex's stomach, leaving red streaks in their wake. For long moments her fingers tease the waistband of Alex's jeans, dipping just the tips of fingers below the elastic of black satin boyshorts. "How wet are you, Alex?" Astra questions against her lover's ear, the language of her people rolling off her tongue as easily as her tongue soothes slightly abused flesh.

Carefully she slides her hand beneath the waistband of Alex's panties, her fingertips brushing lightly over Alex's neatly trimmed slit, causing the other woman to draw in a sharp breath which then rushes from her lungs when two of Astra's fingers slip into her without warning. "Are you going to come for me, darling?" Astra grinds her thumb against Alex's clit as she draws the two fingers she has buried inside of her back and then slams them back into Alex, giving herself over to the need to drive Alex crazy. Her fingers twist as they reenter Alex, then she curls them, brushing the rough patch of skin against Alex's inner walls. A little gasp slips passed Alex's lips, "No words, baby."

Each flick of her wrist allows Astra's fingers to brush Alex's inside walls and send her hips bucking into her lover's embrace. Alex has just adjusted to the feel of two fingers pumping roughly in and out of her when a third one is added without preamble. Alex's moans become louder and more frequent the harder and faster Astra slams her fingers deep inside, twisting and curling them, stroking softly then harder over that raised patch of skin against Alex's inner walls.

"Come for me, my love," Astra whispers against Alex's ear, lips pressed to Alex's skin. At her final word Astra feels Alex's walls tighten around her fingers, Astra curling her fingers once more causing Alex's walls to pulse around Astra's fingers even harder. A few more thrusts of her fingers, long low moans spiraling free from Alex's lips, "I love you," she murmurs against Alex's lips in Kryptonese.

Astra frees her fingers from between their bodies, intending to bring them to her own lips but Alex grasps her wrist instead, pulling Astra's long fingers to her lips and taking each digit between her lips. "Mmm," Astra hums, her arousal climbing higher than it had already been after watching her lover come undone beneath her hands. Alex raises an eyebrow at her, one finger still trapped between her lips, "I suppose you've been quiet enough," Astra says, fingers of the hand not currently trapped by Alex's lips running idly through Alex's short hair. "I suppose," she says, leaning forward as she pulls her fingers free of her lover's lips, "you may talk again."

Before Alex can speak however Astra fuses their lips together, pouring everything she has into the kiss. When they finally pull away from one another Alex pushes a strand of hair away from Astra's face, revealing the blue eyes that she loves so much. "I love you," Alex says in near perfect Kryptonese, eyes roaming over the contours of her lover's face. Panic fills Astra's eyes, "Kara used to say it when she first came to Earth," she explains quietly. "I learned how to say it quickly and correctly because it was the only way to get her to calm down." She leans forward, pressing another kiss to Astra's lips, "Take me to bed," she whispers, "make love to me."

Astra smiles against Alex's lips, lifting the younger woman up, legs wrapped around Astra's waist, "I love you too, my darling," she says, pressing herself ever closer to the woman in her arms. "Now I do believe," Astra mumbles, leaning up to kiss Alex, "that you mentioned something about taking you to bed."

Alex grins, pressing her forehead to Astra's, "Indeed I did," her smile is nearly predatory, "after all it is my turn." Astra audibly gulps but walks towards the bedroom all the same.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

"The beach," Astra says, "it's so cliche," she smirks, looking over at the woman toying with her hair, "after all cats do enjoy lazing in the sun."

Cat shoots a glare over to Astra, "Do you and your family always have to come up with cat related puns? Or nicknames?"

Astra chuckles, brushes a strand of hair that Cat has knocked into her eyes away from her face, "You look beautiful, Cat, Kara isn't going to know what hit her."

An almost jittery smile flitters across Cat's lips, "Are you sure?" She runs her hands over her stomach, the edges of her dress fluttering slightly as she adjusts the thin strap over her shoulder a bit. "I should have gone with the other dress, the one with the sleeves that was longer."

"Cat," Astra says, hands grabbing the woman's arms before she can start pacing, "please calm down. This dress is perfect, Kara is going to love it, she's going to love it because you're wearing it."

"I have never," Cat says, eyes closing, "been so nervous in my life."

"And why, Tiny Cat, are you nervous?"

"I hate that name." Cat gripes but she's smiling, "I don't want to screw this up. I don't want to chase her away like I have everyone else in my life."

Shaking her head, Astra brushes the same curl as earlier from Cat's eyes, "You are not going to chase her away, Cat. Kara has been there for you from the very moment that she met you. She has cared for you from the moment that she met you. Kara is not like anyone else, you and I both know that. She loves with her whole heart and when she loves you there is absolutely nothing that she wouldn't do for you." Astra meets Cat's eyes, "You cannot screw this up and you will not chase Kara away."

Cat smiles, "Now I know why you are the one selected to keep me on track today."

Laughing Astra lifts the seashell hair comb from the table beside them, "Actually this was more who could keep Kara on track today, you lost and got me instead of Alex." She slides the comb into place, pinning back the curl she's been moving all morning. "How do you feel now?"

"Much better," Cat says, smiling up at Astra, "and just so you know, I didn't lose." She looks at herself in the mirror beside her, "How did our relationship get to be what it is though?"

"Because you decided to marry my niece and I adopted you as my own, just as I've always believed her to be." Astra smiles at Cat, "Are you ready to go meet your bride?"

A smile spreads across her features and she nods, "I am." She nods, "More than actually."

She holds her arm out to Cat, "Shall we then?"

Cat nods, slipping her arm into Astra's, "Thank you for everything you've done, Astra."

"You are most welcome, Tiny Cat," this time Cat lets herself smile widely at the nickname, "I did what I would do for any of my family. I do hope you know you are my family now." Astra watches Cat dab lightly at her eyes with a kleenex but the smaller woman says nothing, instead leading them towards the spot of beach where her wedding will take place.

Cat and Astra stand on one side of the small gathering of chairs, Kara and Alex on the other, neither of the brides looking at one another. When the music begins to play, something other than what Cat has dubbed the death march since the end of her first marriage, Astra squeezes Cat's hand as they begin moving towards the arch that's been erected right at the ocean's edge, white tulle and lilies woven through it. Cat glances at Carter in the front row, having opted to sit with Eliza rather than be at the front of the crowd with his moms and aunts. When Cat finally looks up Kara is across from her, the younger woman wearing a long white gown with a silver beaded belt and a sweetheart neckline. Both brides wear smiles that could turn the sun to shame as they look at one another. Astra places Cat's hand in Kara's, her hand covering theirs while Alex cradles them. Alex and Astra step away from the brides, taking their places at their sides and grinning at one another.

When the ceremony is over Alex raises an eyebrow at Astra, who only smiles at her lover. Cat and Kara make their way down the aisle and Astra steps forward, taking Alex's hand in her own so that they can follow after the newlyweds. "Do you ever want that?" Astra whispers as she watches Kara pull Cat into a kiss, her arms wrapping around the smaller woman's waist.

Alex looks over at her lover, studying her, "Do you?"

Smiling Astra, pushes a lock of hair behind Alex's ear, marveling at the soft feel of it, "More than I'm willing to admit."

Smiling Alex leans up to kiss Astra, "Me too."

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

"Why are you so nervous?" Kara asks Alex, watching her sister wear a hole in the floor of her living room. "It's just superfamily dinner."

Alex glares at Kara, "Would I be this nervous if it was just superfamily dinner, Kara?" she snaps at her sister. "This is not going to be a normal superfamily dinner."

Kara tilts her head, "You're going to propose to Astra, aren't you?"

Covering her face with her hands Alex sighs, "I can't believe I'm even thinking about doing this."

"I always thought it would be Astra." Kara says with a grin, "You are by far the more feminine part of your relationship."

"Ha, says the woman who let the Queen of All Media propose to her." Kara glares, "And for your information, your aunt and I do not conform to norms such as that. You should know about that."

Smiling Kara props her head on her hand, "But now you're thinking about chewing me out and not your nerves."

"This is very true," Alex says with a chuckle. "I just," Alex shakes her head, walking towards the glass wall of windows that look out over National City, "I don't want to mess this up, Kara." She turns to look at her sister, "I know it gets weird for you sometimes but Astra," she turns back to the windows, "Astra makes me so happy. I didn't know it was possible to be this happy, honestly. I stopped believing in finding love a long time ago."

Kara moves toward Alex, turns her sister around, "I always knew you'd find love, Alex, did I expect it to be with Astra, no. But I'm not upset that it did. Seeing the two of you happy, Alex, that's the important thing to me. And the two of you make each other unbearably happy." She smiles at her sister, "And for what it's worth, I'm sure Astra is going to say yes."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because she loves you, Alex, just as much as you love her."

"I hope so," Alex says, letting herself be hugged into her younger sister's side, unused to Kara being the one to reassure her.

AA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AA

Alex looks around the table, smiling at her family. Lois and Clark are bickering with James and Kara over something she can't quite hear the details of, Lucy and Cat are in deep conversation about what she suspects to be Lucy's last run in with the DEO at her father's behest Hank throwing out a comment here and there from the end of the table, but what draws her attention most is Astra at her side, leaned towards Carter who is between her and his mother, the two comparing notes on the newest video game the boy has gotten his aunt hooked on. "Aunt Alex," Carter says suddenly, snapping Alex from her observations.

"Yeah, Cart," Alex says with a grin at the boy, who's conned Astra into switching places with him. She ruffles his curly hair and wonders for a moment if Cat straightens hers so it doesn't curl like his. "What's up, buddy?"

Carter rests his head on her shoulder, to be thirteen he's still one of those kids who loves affection from his family, "My teacher told me that you and Aunt Astra aren't my real aunts and Clark isn't my cousin."

Cat's head snaps up on the other side of Astra, as does Kara's at the other end of the table. Alex runs her fingers through his hair, "Why'd she say that, Carter?"

Alex can feel all of the attention trained on her and Carter, "We had to draw our family tree for a project," he says quietly, "and I put Mom and Dad and all of Dad's family, aunts, uncles, great aunts, as far back as I could go. Then I did Mom's side of the family, with all the same information. But Kara's my Ma and I wasn't gonna leave her out, or you and Clark and Aunt Astra but my teacher said that you weren't part of my family."

A quiet sigh falls past Alex's lips while she looks around the table at her family, all of whom have fallen silent, watching the interaction between she and Carter. "Everyone's definition of family is different, Carter," Alex tells him softly, "and to some people ours is a little," she searches through her memory for the best word, "complicated. Why don't you let us see it?"

He nods, bolting from his chair and scurrying off down the hall, "I'm going to flay her alive," Cat seethes.

Before anyone can respond Carter rushes back in, tri-fold poster in hand, he sets it up on the end of the table while Hank moves around so he can see it. Everyone studies the poster, noting that he's done a good job of coming up with made up last names for Alura and Astra and Clark's father to hide their true identities as aliens. The detail of the tree is amazing, the perfectly planned key followed to a T. She smiles as she takes in the elaborate, flowing lines of the tree, how each person connects to one another.

"That is a perfect family tree, Carter, no matter what your teacher says." She looks up at the boy, smiling at him, "Even Grandpa Hank made it on there."

"Yeah Ms. Mason didn't like that either."

"Carter," Cat says, drawing her son's attention, "did she grade you for this?" Carter nods, his eyes looking anywhere but at his mother, "Did she fail you?"

"D," he says, "I got a D." He finally looks at Cat, "I don't understand why though I followed the directions exactly."

Cat smiles at him, "Don't worry, Carter, your mother and I will talk to her."

Carter nods, confident his mother will make his teacher see. Slowly conversation resumes, Carter pressing himself in Alex's side after he's returned his poster to his room. He tilts his head back to look up at Alex, "I love you, Aunt Alex."

Alex is still a little amazed every time the boy calls her his aunt and her smile always widens just a bit more than it was to start with, "I love you too, Carter," she says pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Kara meets Alex's eyes from the other end of the table, shifting her eyes to Astra with a silent eyebrow raised in question. _Not yet_ , she mouths to her sister. She has a plan but Kara doesn't know that, no one but Cat does. "Who's ready for dessert?" Cat asks and everyone smiles, nodding. She glances to Alex, "Wanna help me?"

Alex nods and if anyone notices that her movements are a bit stiff or choppy no one says anything. Inside the kitchen Alex paces while Cat places all of the desserts onto two trays, careful to place the cheesecake drizzled with chocolate and a ring surrounded by chocolate on Alex's tray. "I'm so nervous," she mutters, wringing her hands together.

Cat smiles, "Because this is everything you want and you're scared it's going to slip away." She places a hand on Alex's arm, grins at her sister-in-law, "It won't, now come on you have a. very important question to ask."

Smiling Alex presses a kiss to Cat's cheek, "Let's do this."

Alex's last piece, the very last piece of them all is placed before Astra, "Here you are, baby," she says, placing the cheesecake before Astra, the plate turned in just a way that the ring is the first thing Astra sees. Everyone around the table has fallen quiet because Astra has just stopped speaking mid-sentence and that is something the older Kryptonian never does. She picks up the ring and glances at Alex who has fallen to one knee beside her chair. Reaching out Alex slips the ring from her hand, it's shaped like a snowflake because winter is Astra's favorite time of year. There's a black diamond in the center because Astra would never want something so common as a white diamond. Around the center diamond, in the branches are blue and white sapphires.

Alex smiles at her lover, takes her hand in her own, "I've never been as happy as I have been with you this past year, you've taken me on a whirlwind ride that I never want to end. I never thought I'd find love in my life," she releases Astra's hand to reach out and brush a tear from her cheek, "I thought that I'd be forever alone but you stepped into my life. Turned my world upside down and for that I will forever be grateful. I love you with all of my heart, Astra In-Ze." She says it again in Kryptonese, thankful to Kara for never asking why she needed to know that single phrase so well, "Will you be my wife?"

A smile spreads across Astra's face, she pounces Alex from her chair, kissing her with everything she has. "Yes," she whispers quietly as she rests her forehead against Alex's where they're laying on the floor. Everyone else returns to their dessert while Alex and Astra remain on the floor, "We should get up."

Alex's arms are draped lazily across Astra's waist, "I'm pretty okay right here," she says with a grin, leaning up to kiss Astra once more. "I love you," she whispers out.

"I love you too," Astra replies, laying her head on Alex's chest and not bothering to move. Alex grins, maybe happiness is more than just a job and a barely lived in apartment and she's positive that she's found it. She presses a kiss to the top of Astra's head, she's definitely found it.


End file.
